'Sherlock' season 5 is still years away, says Mark Gatiss

Despite recent rumours that 'Sherlock' co-creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss are possibly gearing up for a fifth season, it's at least four years off, Gatiss told entertainment.ie.

In an interview with the actor/screenwriter for our On the Line podcast, Gatiss seemed optimistic that they would one day return to the show, but it wouldn't be anytime soon.

"We're certainly not ruling it out," he said. "We're shooting 'Dracula' next year, that's a two or three year process to get that from script to screen. Even if we then started planning 'Sherlock' season five that would be another two years, so it'a a way off."

"It was very, very, very difficult to schedule the fourth series in terms of Benedict's and Martin's availability, and everyone's availability, so it's not easy. It's not a lack of will, it's just about practicality," Gatiss said.

He added: "I think it would be nice to leave them and then come back and see what's happened to them."

As Gatiss mentioned, both him and Moffatt are teaming up again for a new TV series about Dracula, although he wasn't giving too much away about it when we asked. "It's about a vampire", he joked.

Adding: "It's also a great Irish story, because of it's wonderful author, so that's also worth celebrating."

Although Gatiss said there were no plans as of yet to film any of the series here: "Not at the moment - we haven't got that far. There will be a foreign element for Transylvania I think, but we don't know where yet."

As well as 'Sherlock', Gatiss has also written many episodes of 'Doctor Who', of which he is a long-term fan, but has stepped aside from the series for the moment. He is looking forward to seeing new Time Lord Jodie Whitaker in the role however and for the upcoming eleventh series: "I'm so excited. I'm more excited because I have no idea what's happening, nothing. And that's the first time since the show came back where I haven't had a clue - I don't know anything."

He continued: "It's in brilliant hands and I think Jodie will be absolutely wonderful."

Gatiss will be in Dublin shortly for 'The League of Gentlemen Live Again!' tour which will see him reunite with his BAFTA winning comedy troupe.

The iconic BBC comedy series returned last Christmas for three specials to mark the show’s 20th anniversary and now Gatiss, Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith and Jeremy Dyson are taking the show on the road.

"When we wrote the specials, we set out with the question, what's happened to everyone?," Gatiss said. "It's fifteen years since the last series, so that was an interesting place to be and at the same time because we started as a live act and we've always enjoyed doing the tours, we said let's do some dates as well.

"It's genuinely for fun, we haven't got extensions to pay or anything", he quipped.

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